Guarantors of Astana talks on Syria to meet next week: Kazakhstan

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – The guarantors of the Astana format talks on Syria will convene for the 19th time in the Kazakh capital next week, on Nov. 22-23, Kazakhstan announced on Monday.

“Delegations from Türkiye, Russia, Iran, the Syrian (Assad) regime, and the Syrian opposition will take part in the talks. Representatives of the UN, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq are expected to arrive as observers,” Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesman Aybek Smadiyarov told an official press briefing.

Smadiyarov said the meeting will discuss the situation "on the ground" in Syria, including humanitarian and socioeconomic conditions, the promotion of Syria’s political process, confidence-building measures, including the release of hostages and the search for missing persons, and the international community’s mobilization of efforts in line with UN Security Council resolutions, mentioning no. 2642, which calls for “the post-conflict reconstruction of Syria and the creation of conditions for the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland.”

“On day one, bilateral and trilateral consultations of the guarantor countries, negotiations with the Syrian parties, and contacts with the delegations of the observer parties are expected. On day two, further consultations, a plenary session, and a press conference are planned,” the spokesman added.

He said a meeting of a working group on forcibly detained persons, with the participation of the guarantor countries, UN experts, and the Red Cross, is also planned.

The Astana format talks were launched in 2017 in a bid to restore peace and stability in the Arab country, which has been ravaged by war since 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.

The last Astana format talks on Syria were held this June.​​​​​​​